Body found in debris after major fire in LaSalle

Police have found a body of a woman in the debris of three townhouses that went up in flames Tuesday night in the Montreal borough of LaSalle.

The five-alarm fire broke out around 10:30 p.m. on Bois-des-Caryers street at the corner of Rosaire-Gendron.

It took 200 firefighters to put out the blaze that was threatening to spread to nearby buildings.

Evacuees told police that one resident was missing, a 61-year-old woman, and that she likely didn’t make it out of the building in time.

The major crimes unit of the Montreal police department is investigating to determine the cause of the fire; it is believed to be deliberate.

Witnesses saw at least three individuals fleeing the back of the building shortly before the fire broke out.